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Max Gerson’s S6

Essex

Max Gerson’s S6

For most, Essex usually invokes imagery of a working town in England. However for a few fortunate souls in a quiet suburb of Denver, Essex means something completely different. It means something much faster, louder (Yes, louder than drunk Brits) and meaner than a place in England. Essex is a pearl white 2002 S6 Avant, the creation of a man named Max Gerson and a place known as 3zero3 Motorsports. It is the very definition of clean, with an OEM+ approach to styling that has been religiously followed. The Avant sits on 20 inch Hartmann peeler replicas, finished in matte anthracite. Max knew that the wheels where not set up for the beautiful curves and wide flairs of the S6, so he dropped in 15 mm spacers and wrapped the wheels in a 235/35/20 set of Hanooks. To finish off the perfect stance of Essex, Max went with KW Variant 1 coilovers. He knew that he could go low, and we mean low, without giving up the comfort of his daily driver. As proof that Max does his homework, and 3zero3 doesn’t mess around when it comes to quality work, the car fits the 20 inch peelers without rubbing. This level of attention to detail can be found throughout the car, and clearly reflects the “Do this right” attitude of 3zero3 Motorsport and Mr. Gerson.

The engine is no exception; Max went with a stage two supercharger system from PES. He chose this setup because of the hardware, the Eaton M90 blower is OEM material for several car makers, like Jaguar and Mercedes Benz. Using this system, Max and 3zero3 Motorsport were able to produce 340Hp at the wheels, a 100 pony improvement. This is impressive, given the tune is rather conservative, running 91 and at high elevation. To wrap up the supercharged 4.2 and let it breathe, a Milltek cat-back exhaust was installed. As most of you already know, Milltek is a nice option for a healthy exhaust note, without the fart can drone. To stop the wagon, 3zero3 used their company standard, Stoptech. Essex uses 332mm cross drilled rotors paired with 4 piston Stoptech calipers up front. Around back Stoptech cross drilled aero rotors are used with Stoptech stainless steel lines all the way around. To finish off, Max runs Prospeed RS683 fluid to ensure massive stopping power. 3zero3 Motorsport swears by Stoptech, and Essex is no exception. They have only good things to say about Stoptech, and here at CleanAudi, we couldn’t agree more with them.

The interior of Essex is in keeping with the OEM+ theme. The factory black leather sports an OEM charcoal suede headliner and has been kept in fantastic shape. The only changes Max wanted to make were to the factory stereo. To get the bump he was after Max went with the best, M+S customs, to do the job. They installed a Pioneer AVH-P3200 touchscreen double din, and used the OEM Bose speakers. To fill out the sound, a JL Audio 10W3V3-4 sub was installed with a JL Audio XD300/1 amp. M+S Customs then created a custom grille that protects the sub. Max drives Essex daily and fills the trunk with camera equipment, tools, strollers, and his huge dog regularly without issue. He is very happy with the sound of the stereo and its ability to stand up to the weather and slobber.

With Essex the supercharged S6, Max, 3zero3, and M+S have achieved something quite remarkable. The fine balance between overdone, and still in progress is easily missed. It takes a trained eye and many hours of thinking it over to walk that line. This wagon is a perfect example of getting it right; the car embodies the entire idea of clean throughout. Max set out to build a classy Avant with some attitude, and has done just that. Can we really be surprised though? Given the know-how of Max and 3zero3 Motorsport as well as M+S Customs and their dedication to perfection, no we can’t. Not even a little bit.

-CA

Photos courtesy of Max Gerson Photography – All rights reserved

About Max Gerson

As marketing director for 3ZERO3 Motorsports, Max knows his way around cars. He has owned a Stage three B5 S4, a B5 A4 1.8t that made it to 256,000 miles before he sold it and of course Essex. In his garage now, he is currently building a 1980 Porsche 911 SC with a 3.8L Varioram Build. He also keeps a 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo for the track. He is a freelance writer and contributor to Revvolution.com, as well as freelance photographer. (MotumMagazine.com) Max graduated with a BA in Philosophy from CU Boulder, and is an Audi Academy graduate.

3zero3 Motorsports

3zero3 Motorsports is an independent VW, Audi, Porsche, BMW, maintenance, repair, and high performance tuning shop. Their mission is to set the bar for all things quality in the industry. 3zero3 offers a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty on repairs and has the know how to build 800WHP B5 RS4 Avants. They have the facilities to support the daily driver, and the professional racer and continue to define the market in Colorado as they gain national brand recognition. 3zero3 is one of two independent shops that are authorized to install and support Stasis products.

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Max would like to thank 3zero3 motorsports as well as give a huge thanks to Marshall and M+S Customs for all their great work!